While Congress hashes out reforms to the way the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs treats those who served in the military, Texas officials are trying to help veterans who live here get medical care. Gov. Rick Perry called for action after revelations surfaced of long waits and falsified appointment records at veterans’ hospitals.

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The focus of this should be at the Federal level. The V.A system as it is now should be abolished. This system is a duplication of the Private sector that exists and is not funded by tax dollars. The system should move towards being run more like Medicare with private doctors and hospitals providing the care and the Government paying for it.

The system could be phased out and private care providers offer these services. Someone even living within the DFW area may have to make a 200 mile trip to the VA. Not only people living in West Texas have this problem. Why pay for administrative costs, facilities and all the overhead that is associated with the current system when all the same structure exists in the private sector? This would be a huge savings and the money saved paying paper pushers and providing them a location to push those papers in and the money saved could go towards actual care.

Hospitals, Doctors , their offices and facilities already exist and are paid for by revenues that are derived from the general care of the public and not a dedicated government fund. Vets would not have to travel hundreds of miles to get care and could go to local doctors and hospitals that are already there and may end up in providing better care for the population in general because of the increase of revenue that comes to them. In rural areas this would be a benefit to have the increased revenue flow into these health care providers. Where there exists a limited patient load many of these places cannot justify the purchase of medical technology because they have so few people to use it for.

If Vets had the option of choice they would not be subjected to going to a provider they did not feel comfortable with or they do not feel they are getting the best care possible. There is no competition within the current system and the result is what we have now. Many employees within the system try and do the best they can. The VA is not all bad and once you get in many get adequate care and are satisfied, but there is always room for improvement.

As we all know Government does few things well and holding Veterans captive to a Government controlled health care system is not fair when average Americans have the right to choice and they do not. Our Veterans should have the right of choice first above all others.